CHINA  SCIENCE  AND  TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China

Clean Development Mechanism

The Kyoto protocol, inked by the signatory member states under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, came into effect on Feb. 16, 2005. China will facilitate international cooperation in four major areas, in terms of clean development, joining international efforts to slow down and adapt to climate change, said ZHU Guangyao, Deputy Administrator of Chinese State Environmental Protection, at a high forum celebrating the Protocol coming into effect.

In the field of industrial pollution prevention, control and recycling, China will enhance environmental monitoring and control, advocating for a cyclic economy. Numerous Chinese enterprises have used in their production the cyclic resources utilization model with clean production as the core, and established a resources sharing chain. In the practice, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, have become important resources for industrial cyclic utilization, which in turn reduces the emission and achieves a remarkable result lowering down both general pollutants and greenhouse gases.

China will intensify the clean development in the field of urban sewage and garbage treatment. China produces about 140 million tons of urban garbage annually, with an annual growth ranging between 5% and 8%.  Sanitary landfill is the prevailing treating method applied in the country. The cyclic economy asks for a comprehensive utilization of garbage.

HFC-23 recovery makes the third major area calling for improvement. The Chinese government has been seriously fulfilling its obligations for many years to outdate ozone-depleting substances, including the ones in chemicals, detergents, foaming agents, aerosols, coolants, auto air-conditioning, and tobacco, as well as in greenhouse gases emitting production and consumption activities. The efforts have created a huge market and sound supporting conditions for international cooperation.

The last but not least area is ecological reconstruction. China has made itself one of the countries in the world having the most intensive ecological reconstruction activities, and will continue to do so. Both afforestation and pasture capacity building and management will enhance the absorption of greenhouse gases, which leaves huge cooperation potentials for clean development. 

China has started cooperation with international communities in clean development related policy study, training and demonstration, taking advantage of the projects financed by UNDP, UN Foundation, Norwegian and Italian governments.

S&T Economic Database for China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone

S&T Economic Database for China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone, a project contracted to the Yunnan Institute of S&T Information under the West Action Plan of the National 863 Program, has recently passed the verification check organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The project has produced five major results:

1)      Established a Linux and NC based network application platform, using the proprietary software and hardware products. The platform is able to provide numerous network functionalities, including service clusters, automatic payload balancing, distributive intrusion waning and testing, and NC based integrated service control;

2)      Developed a J2EE based content management system, and realized inter-platform, inter-browser, and different data sources support. The new system has numerous merits, including maturity, stability, security and reliability;

3)      Using domestic and internationally accepted classification standards, established classified indicators for six major databases, including natural resources, S&T economic statistics, S&T developments, decision making, legislation, and cooperative projects.

4)      Authoritative institutions, including the Institute of Southern Asia, a part of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, the Yunnan Provincial Center for Basic Geographic Information, and the International Relationship School under Yunnan University, have collected and verified more than 25,000 solid and valuable entries for the six databases.

5)Opened up an application platform for the S&T Economic Database, providing comprehensive and systematic S&T economic data sources on ASEAN countries.

China-US Cooperate in Nanotechnology

The Zhejiang University, taking advantage of its high level research resources and findings, has recently joined hands with the California based International Institute of Nanotechnology to create a branch institute in Hangzhou. The development marks the cooperation in the field of nanotechnology between the two nations into a substantial phase.   

The branch institute will, using the existing operational mode of the parent institute and taking advantage of the research strength and capability of the Zhejiang University, establish three international platforms, including international research cooperation platform, S&T finding spin-off and exchange service platform, and investment and industrialization platform. At present stage, 8 research directions have been defined, including systematic biology, molecular imaging, nanopreparation and expression, biological testing, cardiovascular diseases, biological reconstruction, molecular genetics and molecular medicine, and organic electronic technology. Of them, systematic biology, molecular imaging, and biological testing are selected as major priorities. A molecular imaging center, one of the projects to be kicked off by the branch institute, has competed its construction in the compound of the No. 2 Hospital, a part of the Zhejiang University.

Joint Study of Terracotta Museum Air

Initiated by the Institute of Earth Environment, a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and participated by the scientists from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a US desert research institute, a project to study the indoor air pollution of the Qin Dynasty Terracotta Soldier Museum was recently kicked off. According to a briefing, scientists will make a consecutive observation of the museum’s indoor air pollution from March 2005 to February 2007, in an attempt to study the variations of erosive gases, aerosols, and dusts, and work out coping chemical solutions.  The study will produce a comprehensive assessment of the erosion of pollutants to the terracotta soldier preserved in the museum, and design effective approaches to protect the precious heritages.

The project will also help to establish for the museum a special team of experts to provide professional care for the terracotta, a relic environment lab that can operate independently, and a comprehensive database on indoor microclimate, erosive gases, aerosols, and dusts. The efforts will eventually allow scientists to see through the mysteries of the museum indoor air pollution, providing theoretical evidences for rescue protection and repair, and basic evidences for protective measures. 

TONG Mingkang, Deputy Administrator of State Cultural Heritage told reporters that the project would become a pioneering example for museum air pollution control, and provide scientific advice and evidences for the formulation of a national act on museum air pollution control. 

Motor Neurons from Stem Cells

ZHANG Suchun and LI Xuejun, Chinese scientists working at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said they had coaxed motor neurons from human embryonic stem cells. The finding was published in the recent online issue of Nature Biotechnology.

It took more than two years for Chinese scientists to discover that embryonic stem cells, when dividing into neurons, work on a special time rhythm. Only in the third and fourth week of human embryonic development can embryonic stem cells be divided into neurons. In addition, a range of special growth factors and hormones are needed to induce the stem cells, much like a process of “education”.

The process is made following a number of steps. Researchers have to turn the embryonic stem cells into nerve stem cells, and then make nerve stem cells grow into progenitor motor neurons cells. In the last step, the progenitor cells will be turned into neurons. Experiments show that the cultivated motor neurons can conduct nerve electric current, which verifies the validity of such cells. 

ZHANG and his collaborators also discovered that any differences in timing, in inducing formula and dosages, and in any step of the embryonic stem cell division, may trigger the cells to divide in other directions.

Megawatt Asynchronic Wind Generator

A Lanzhou Electric Motor Co. Ltd, has recently , in collaboration with Tsinghua University and Shenyang Industry University, rolled out a megawatt-level speed-changing wind generator with a constant frequency and dual feed mechanism and associated control equipment.  Having the merit to optimize the operation of wind generating system, and enhance wind energy utilization, the new generator applauds for broad application perspectives. Not long ago, a wind energy research institute under the Shenyang Industry University, a frequency converter manufacturer, and Lanzhou Electric Motor Co. Ltd jointly completed the ground testing of the new wind generator, and made it a part of the power grid. 

Using the full digital vector control techniques, the new wind generating system can produce electricity at varied speeds and under a constant frequency, desirable for different wind speeds applications, and for raising the efficiency of the generator and associated transmission chain. With a smaller power consumption but a higher efficiency, the new system represents a trend for wind power generation.

China’s Proprietary AVS Chip

A high definition AVS chip, developed by the Institute of Computation Technology, a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently passed the verification check. Verification experts conclude that the product has found the solution to the AVS core technology, with a number of unique innovations in key algorithms. The new product will be an important technical support in enhancing China’s competitiveness in the fields of computer, telecommunication, and consumer electronics.

In addition to an AVS chip, researchers also rolled out 4 applications. Compatible with different CPU systems, and general bus, the chip is of broad application perspectives for set-top boxes, network TV, digital TV, high definition laser disk player, and video telecommunication. In the next decade, AVS related industrialization will provide 300-500 million chips for the information technology industry, saving 1 billion USD worth patent fees for Chinese industries. The associated applications also include a proprietary satellite TV direct broadcasting system, which makes a standard definition based digital TV transmission system able to directly provide a high definition TV broadcasting service. The application also helps to roll out a new generation of high definition laser disk player using existing technology.

Protecting Yellow River Wetland Birds

Shandong Province and Dongying Municipality are jointly constructing a ‘3-D” (water, land, and marine) fronts to fend off the possible attack of bird flu, protecting more than 200 bird species homed at the Yellow River National Nature Conservation Zone.

Covering an area of 153,000 hectares, the Yellow River National Nature Conservation Zone houses the most extensive and best preserved wetland ecological system in the nation’s temperate zone. There are 265 bird species over the wetlands. Of them, seven birds are under the first grade national protection, including white marabou, Mergus squamatus, Haliaeetus albcilla, Aquila chrysaetos, and red-crowned crane. 33 species are under the second grade national protection, including Cygnus cygnus, Cygnus colunbianus, and Pelecanus philippensis. In addition, 152 bird species are listed in a China-Japan agreement to protect migratory birds and their habitats.

In the protection activities, the forestry and animal husbandry departments in Shandong Province and Dongying Municipality organized experts to tour around birds habitats on a regular basis, monitoring possible epidemic outbreaks. Experts are asked to sort out the causes for the birds found dead unusually.  Meanwhile, experts have kept a close watch over all the animal farms and stocks in the region, and help animal farmers to prepare quarantine plans tailored to their own situation. Authorities also intensifies the quarantine examination of imported birds and other related products.

Irradiation Device for Accurate Cell Positioning

The Institute of Plasma Physics, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently rolled out a single ion beam based irradiation device for accurate cell positioning. The single ion beam irradiation based accurate cell positioning technology is able to shot ions to the prescribed cell positions one by one, making it a desirable solution to positioning micro targets and accurate irradiating particles in a quantitative manner.

It is believed that the successful development of the device marks an important progress achieved in China’s ion beam irradiation technology, facilitating research activities in the fields of radioactive biophysics, cell signal transmission, genetic expression control, and developmental biology. In addition, a low-energy ion beam based cell-repairing technology and associated device, developed along with the efforts, have become a basic methodology and classic device for future innovative studies. In 2003, the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization jointly honored the finding “Gold Award for China Invention”. The technology and associated device have found extensive applications in microbe studies and plant species breeding. During the 10^th Five-year Plan period(2001-2005), the device has technically been upgraded to a smaller and more practical one for an annual production capacity of 10 to 15 units. The device has been installed respectively at the labs in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places. The Institute, in collaboration with Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia scientists, also established ion beam breeding device application and demonstration center in two autonomous regions, making its due to the diffusion of ion beam biotechnology to the west region.

EVD: Reference Standard for China’s Electronics

Based on strict examination, coordination and expert assessment, the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry officially made on Feb. 23, 2005 the EVD technical specifications a reference benchmark for China’s electronic industry. According to a briefing issued by the Ministry, the standard will be used to guide manufacturing chips, software and core components for high definition digital audio and video products. The new standard will become a tool to unify the technologies for making EVD discs and players, in a move to meet the increasing needs of the national information process and people’s demand for high definition digital audio and video products.

The standard is made up of four components: specifications for high density laser video disks, specifications for high density laser video file system, coding specifications for high density laser video and audio data, and coding specifications for multi-channel based surround sound enhancement.

       Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China  Tel: (8610)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364

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